Claude Earl White, Iii

Claude Earl White III, 83, of South Kingstown, RI, passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 21, 2020. Claude was the son of Claude Earl White, Jr., and Thelma (Seyfarth) White. He was born in Natchez, MS, and grew up in Concordia Parish, LA. Claude graduated from Ferriday High School in Ferriday, LA. After graduation, he enlisted in the United States Army and served in Berlin, Germany. Claude loved to tell stories. He never forgot the time his baby brother Joe crawled under the house and was almost bitten by a rattlesnake. Or the time he and his brother Richard spent hours searching the woods for a perfectly round tree trunk of just the right size to cut into wheels for their wooden wagon. He liked to reminisce about the care and skill his parents devoted to raising their family. Mama was an excellent seamstress, who made all her children’s clothing. She and Claude loved to listen to the Brooklyn Dodgers games on the radio. Daddy could fix anything, and he always made sure his sons worked alongside him, carefully explaining what he was doing so they learned how to do it themselves. Carpentry was one of Claude’s favorite hobbies. Over the years, Claude worked in retail sales, as a purchasing agent, and as an automobile service manager. He found his true calling in the early eighties, when he attended the Computer Processing Institute of East Hartford, CT. When he and his wife Linda moved to Nacogdoches, TX, in 1982, Claude went to work as a programmer/systems analyst for Systems Associates, Inc. Ten years later, he became its owner. Claude is survived by his wife Linda (Feldmeier) White of South Kingstown, sister Carol Louise (Thomas) Dunning of Tallulah, LA, sisters-in-law Charlotte White of Ferriday, LA, Mary Ann Lambing of Pittsburgh, PA, Judith Feldmeier of Pittsburgh, PA, and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his son, Jeffrey Brian White, sister Marie Annette Williams, and three brothers, Richard Henry White, Joseph Eugene White, and David Coleman White. Funeral services and burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution in Claude’s memory to World Central Kitchen.